NEIL MCGLADE

While not wishing to dilute the anticipation ahead of next month’s European showdown with Bayern Munich, Hibs Ladies boss Chris Roberts has told his players to shift all their attention towards securing their Scottish Cup semi-final berth tomorrow.

In the wake of Thursday’s Champions League Round of 32 draw that paired the Capital outfit with the two-times German champions, Roberts, who attended the ceremony in Nyon, Switzerland, has urged his squad to put next month’s glamour tie to the back of their minds and focus on taking care of quarter-final opponents Celtic at Albyn Park tomorrow.

“To be honest I spent more time on Thursday thinking about tomorrow’s match than the Champions League draw,” Roberts admitted. “It’s a big game for us. We want to win the Scottish Cup, there’s no two ways about it. Celtic are a tough side but we’ve had the edge on them over the last two seasons or so which will probably motivate them even more.

“We need to be at our best and our preparation needs to be spot on if we are to get through. The girls give everything in every game and they’re all desperate to play. Whether it be Celtic this weekend or Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the competition for places is really healthy amongst the squad.”

Roberts, though, is thrilled his League Cup winners have been given the opportunity to play their first leg under the lights at Easter Road on either October 5 or 6 with the return leg in Munich due to take place a week later.

“An occasion like this deserves the right platform,” he said. “Easter Road is an incredible stadium in terms of numbers but it’s not really for that purpose, it’s more for the stage. UEFA have got quite high standards for grounds or stadiums you can’t play the games at. There are also a lot of Hibs fans in our team so what an occasion it’s going to be.

“The whole thing has been a great experience. There were obviously some really good networking opportunities over in Nyon too. You had to pinch yourself with the teams that were alongside you, Wolfsburg, Paris Saint Germain, Lyon. The quality was incredible so it was nice just to be in that company.”